TLC
Jinger Duggar Admits to Having Religious OCD After Condemning Family’s Religious Beliefs
Jinger Duggar hasn’t been shy about discussing her complex feelings about religion, and she admitted she likely has religious obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
While appearing on the “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown” podcast on Tuesday, August 15, Mayim, 47, suggested that Jinger, 29, might have scrupulosity. According to the International OCD Foundation, “scrupulous individuals are overly concerned that something they thought or did might be a sin or other violation of religious or moral doctrine.”
The Jeopardy! host explained that a lot of “people who are raised in very specific religious communities” suffer from the disorder. She then noted that Jinger admitted to compulsively praying, reading the Bible excessively, questioning her motives and constantly seeking forgiveness, which are all signs of the disorder.
“That’s, like, literally the definition of OCD, that people have these compulsive behaviors that they believe will guarantee them safety and, like, freedom from the obsessions,” Mayim said. “It’s kind of interesting because what you describe sounds a lot like your brain latched on to something, you know, and it became, like, this kind of focus for you.”
Jinger admitted that the obsessive behaviors – which came from being raised to follow the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) – continued even after she married her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, in 2016.
“I would kind of look at other people outside of our circles and think, ‘OK, maybe they’re walking with God. Maybe they’re not.’ Because you kind of see differences,” the former Counting On star said. “If women wore pants in their family, I was like, ‘OK, well I know they’re not obeying every rule as they’re supposed to.”
When she saw people that didn’t follow religion the same way her family did, Jinger would question how they would “guarantee success for [their] family.” She added, “I really whole-heartedly believed that stuff.”
Jinger appeared on the podcast seven months after she opened up about the IBLP in her memoir, Becoming Free Indeed. In the book, she discussed her personal spiritual journey and her decision to abandon the “wrong” teachings of IBLP minister Bill Gothard.
While the religious group has faced backlash for the way it treats women, Gothard was accused of sexual assault by more than 30 women in 2014. He resigned from his position as the president of IBLP two years later. Gothard also faced a lawsuit by 10 of his accusers, though it was later dropped in 2018.
“I realized that some of what I had been taught was hurtful and untrue,” Jinger wrote about the group in her memoir. “I knew I needed to speak publicly about this because I promoted teachings that I now believe are damaging.”
Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar’s daughter even compared the organization to a cult. “Fear was a huge part of my childhood,” she said in a January interview. “I thought I had to wear only skirts and dresses to please God. Music with drums, places I went or the wrong friendships could all bring harm.”
Jinger added that she used to be “terrified” to go against God. “I thought I could be killed in a car accident on the way because I didn’t know if God wanted me to stay home and read my Bible instead,” the former TLC personality admitted.
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